Ottawa Senators make a contract offer to Erik Karlsson: Now they wait

The Ottawa Senators have made captain Erik Karlsson an offer to stay in the nation’s capital.

Now, he has to decide if it’s an offer he can’t refuse.

While general manager Pierre Dorion wasn’t prepared to get into details, he confirmed at Canadian Tire Centre that the Ottawa Senators had tabled a contract-extension offer to Karlsson earlier on Sunday afternoon.

Though Karlsson can’t become a unrestricted free agent until his current deal expires on July 1, 2019, the Senators were allowed to begin formal discussions about an extension on Sunday at 12 noon, when National Hockey League free agency began. As they had promised during town hall meetings with season-ticket holders in April, they put something on the table.

“We owe it to our fans, and we made a promise at the town halls that we would make a contract offer to Erik Karlsson, and we’ve done so,” Dorion said. “We’re not going to talk any more about it, but we just thought that we talked about it previously.

“That’s all about we’re going to say about it. We’re not going to discuss any other contract negotiations, whether it’s Mark Stone, Cody Ceci or Matt Duchene or anyone (else) moving forward.”

Dorion also wouldn’t discuss Karlsson’s reaction to the offer, which was likely in the eight-year range.

“We’re not going there,” he said, adding that, at this time, there was no point in addressing the topic.

“We see other teams when they’re in contract negotiations and they don’t talk about it and I don’t feel there’s anything to gain from it. That’s how we feel,” Dorion said.

Some have wondered why the Los Angeles Kings could agree to a deal with Drew Doughty for eight years and $88 million before July 1 when the Senators didn’t do the same with Karlsson. Dorion noted that Doughty’s deal wasn’t made official until Sunday afternoon.

“The contract for them was official today and I saw the press release today. What’s reported, I can’t discuss (that),” Dorion said.

Sunday marked the first time the Senators could start to formally negotiate a contract extension with Erik Karlsson, whose current deal expires in July 2019.Jana Chytilova/Freestyle Photo /
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It doesn’t mean Karlsson will start training camp with the Senators in September, but placing an offer on the table means the club can start meaningful negotiations. The 28-year-old, drafted 15th overall in 2008, has at least stated publicly that he wants to stay with the Senators.

Of course, if Karlsson doesn’t sign an extension, the Senators will have to weigh trade options again and it still feels as if that’s where this will end up, whether it’s this summer or before the next NHL trade deadline in February.

It’s believed the Vegas Golden Knights, Tampa Bay Lightning, San Jose Sharks, New York Rangers and Washington Capitals are among the teams that have talked with the Senators to see what it will take to acquire Karlsson.

Further, it’s believed the Knights are one of the teams that would also be willing to acquire winger Bobby Ryan, who has four years remaining on his contract with annual salary-cap hit of $7.25 million.

The Senators went into Sunday knowing a deal for Karlsson was a long shot at best. He is a top commodity and the best defenceman in the league, but teams were wrapped up trying to sign free agents on Sunday and apparently weren’t in the mood to trade.

The Senators won’t get a player of equal value for Karlsson and much of this deal — if it’s made — will be based on future prospects, although it would also make sense to obtain a blueliner who can replace some of Karlsson’s minutes.

The Senators also must negotiate new deals with winger Mark Stone and defenceman Cody Ceci, a pair of restricted free agents with rights to salary arbitration, and they have reached out to centre Matt Duchene, who can also become an unrestricted free agent next July, to see if he’s interested in signing an extension.

“We feel very confident that we’re headed in the right direction,” Dorion said. “We don’t like to brand things here. We’ll have a younger team, and, watching development camp, there’s quite a few players that have impressed us and we know that were fighting for spots.

“We feel there’s going to be a change to our roster when October comes around and there’s going to be good, healthy battles. We know we have a lot of prospects that can take those spots. It’s not going to be a team full of young players, but I think, if you find the right mix of good veterans and good prospects, I think we’ll be a competitive, faster, team next year.”

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